Leadership and Management
The Daily 5 and CAFE Systems
This year, we have begun to develop the structure of English sessions to improve student outcomes using The Daily 5 and CAFE Systems in Prep-2. Our school has been working closely with other English Leaders in the Southern Region, in particular St Finbar's and St James Brighton, in the area of Reading. Teachers tell us their Daily 5 classrooms produce productive, highly engaged students who are developing a true love of literacy.
The Daily 5 is a framework for structuring literacy time so students develop lifelong habits of reading, writing, and working independently.
Students select from five authentic reading and writing choices, working independently toward personalised goals, while the teacher meets individual needs through whole-group and small-group instruction, as well as one-on-one conferring. These choices include:
- Read to Self,
- Work on Writing,
- Read to Someone,
- Listen to Reading, and
- Word Work.
The benefits of The Daily 5 for teachers and schools include the following:
- students develop independence, stamina, and accountability;
- less time consumed by classroom management leaves more for instruction;
- the framework adapts flawlessly to the Victorian Curriculum;
- improves literacy achievement; and
- behaviours of independence transfer to other content areas.
The CAFE System is delivered through the structure and framework of The Daily 5. The CAFE System helps students understand and master the four key components of successful reading:
- Comprehension,
- Accuracy,
- Fluency, and
- Expanding Vocabulary.
The CAFE Menu breaks each component—comprehension, accuracy, fluency, and expanding vocabulary—into significant strategies that support each goal. Posted on the classroom wall and built throughout the year, it serves as a visual reminder of whole-class instruction as well as individual student goals.
Teachers use The CAFE System to assess, instruct, and monitor student progress. It provides tools for constructing group and individual lessons that provide just-in-time instruction, ensuring that all students reach their potential. The system helps teachers:
- establish and track the strengths and goals of each child by providing a structure for conferring;
- organise assessment data and use it to inform instruction;
- maximie time with students in whole-group, small-group, and one-on-one settings;
- create flexible small groups focused on specific reading needs;
- engage students, fostering ownership and accountability to reach goals; and
- develop a common language to talk about reading development and proficiency.
On Monday morning, our Prep-2 teachers visited St. James in Brighton to see some great examples of Daily 5 and CAFE Reading in the junior schools. This is part of our ongoing professional learning and gathering of new ideas to inform our practices at Galilee. In conducting this type of Professional learning, we are given the opportunity to bring back more ideas that can potentially enable us to make changes to our practices.
We are very excited to be implementing The Daily 5 and CAFE Systems in Prep-2.
